Humdinger
Gold Member
I just finished playing through Mafia I and II, Definitive Edition, and wanted to share some brief impressions. This is exactly the kind of game I like and wish they made more of.
Both Mafia I and II have good stories, entertaining and believable characters, and good dialog. The stories aren't perfect. Sometimes the characters do things that make no sense, but that's okay. The overall story was entertaining and kept me wondering what was ahead. I liked the main characters in both games. They did a nice job of tying the stories of the two games together.
Both games have solid shooting mechanics. The gunplay never got dull. Levels are varied. Action includes car chases, gun fights, prison sequences (don't drop the soap), fist fights, car bombs, police chases, heists, family drama, hits - all the stuff you would expect in a mafia game. I have been watching The Sopranos lately, so I was in the spirit of the thing.
Driving was fun. As you probably know, it's more realistic than GTA. You can still speed and run red lights. The cops are lenient. Even when they're on your tail, they give up the chase pretty easily. I found it funny sometimes ("He's in another borough now, I guess we lost him").
The main difference I noticed between the first and second games is that the first put a lot more emphasis on the cinematics, motion capture, and acting. There is more of a filmic quality to the first game, whereas the second feels more like a regular videogame from that era (in terms of the cutscenes). They also made some improvements to the driving for Mafia II (removed directional sign, added engine upgrades). They added a few things to do in the city as well (e.g., clothing, gas, body shops).
I never played the original series, so I can't properly assess the upgrades that went into the Definitive Edition. From what I can tell, though, they put in substantial work.
If you like old-style relatively linear action games, I'd recommend you check these games out, if you haven't already. Once I got around to them, I was sorry I slept on them so long. They are really right up my alley. Since they are older games, you can find them on sale periodically. (Mafia I DE is on sale now for $6 on the PS Store).
I haven't played Mafia III yet - the one set in modern times, in a New Orleans setting, with a Vietnam vet and some new "boss" mechanics. I've heard that it isn't as good. Any impressions?
I'm looking forward to the upcoming game, Mafia: The Old Country. It's a prequel to the first game, due out sometime next year.
Both Mafia I and II have good stories, entertaining and believable characters, and good dialog. The stories aren't perfect. Sometimes the characters do things that make no sense, but that's okay. The overall story was entertaining and kept me wondering what was ahead. I liked the main characters in both games. They did a nice job of tying the stories of the two games together.
Both games have solid shooting mechanics. The gunplay never got dull. Levels are varied. Action includes car chases, gun fights, prison sequences (don't drop the soap), fist fights, car bombs, police chases, heists, family drama, hits - all the stuff you would expect in a mafia game. I have been watching The Sopranos lately, so I was in the spirit of the thing.
Driving was fun. As you probably know, it's more realistic than GTA. You can still speed and run red lights. The cops are lenient. Even when they're on your tail, they give up the chase pretty easily. I found it funny sometimes ("He's in another borough now, I guess we lost him").
The main difference I noticed between the first and second games is that the first put a lot more emphasis on the cinematics, motion capture, and acting. There is more of a filmic quality to the first game, whereas the second feels more like a regular videogame from that era (in terms of the cutscenes). They also made some improvements to the driving for Mafia II (removed directional sign, added engine upgrades). They added a few things to do in the city as well (e.g., clothing, gas, body shops).
I never played the original series, so I can't properly assess the upgrades that went into the Definitive Edition. From what I can tell, though, they put in substantial work.
If you like old-style relatively linear action games, I'd recommend you check these games out, if you haven't already. Once I got around to them, I was sorry I slept on them so long. They are really right up my alley. Since they are older games, you can find them on sale periodically. (Mafia I DE is on sale now for $6 on the PS Store).
I haven't played Mafia III yet - the one set in modern times, in a New Orleans setting, with a Vietnam vet and some new "boss" mechanics. I've heard that it isn't as good. Any impressions?
I'm looking forward to the upcoming game, Mafia: The Old Country. It's a prequel to the first game, due out sometime next year.
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